Ten must-watch films at Dubai International Film Festival
- 1/10
Life of Pi
Life of Pi
The opening film of this year’s festival is the cinematic masterpiece based on the 2001 best-seller by Yann Martel. Directed by filmmaker extraordinaire Ang Lee, Life of Pi tells the story of a young man’s survival at sea, sharing a lifeboat with none other than a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Praised for its spectacular special effects and use of CGI, this film is must-see.jason - 2/10
Hitchcock
Hitchcock
Anthony Hopkins transforms into master storyteller Alfred Hitchcock in this stunning biopic also starring Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel. The film tracks the love story between one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers and his wife Alma Reville as he films suspense classic Psycho. - 3/10
The Sapphires - still
The Sapphires
Get ready to sing and dance as DIFF's closing film is an uplifting musical extravangaza from Australia that tells the tale of four Aboriginal girls who form the fabulous all-girl group The Sapphires and the down-on-his-luck Irish musician who discovers them. - 4/10
Wadjda
Wadjda
Directed by the first ever female Saudi filmmaker, Haifaa Al Mansour, Wadjda features an all-Saudi cast and was shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. The film follows a 10-year-old school girl who challenges her country’s traditions. - 5/10
Amour
Amour
The winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or this year, this French drama is a poignant story of love and loss that follows two married classical music teachers in their eighties as they struggle with age and illness. Directed by Michael Hanke, the film explores the true meaning of life and what it means to love. - 6/10
Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D
Cirque Du Soleil: World’s Away 3D
Backed by Avatar director, James Cameron, this fantasy love story brings together the wonders of the stage with the magic of the big screen, all in immersive 3D. As the aerial gymnasts tell their story through leaps and bounds, the audience is sure to be amazed. - 7/10
The Master
The Master
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson of There Will Be Blood fame, The Master is a chilling drama about a World War II veteran who struggles to return to society played by Joaquin Phoenix. In the midst of finding himself, he discovers a new religious cult and strikes a relationship with its erudite leader, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. - 8/10
Rust and bone
Rust and Bone
Starring Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard (recently seen in The Dark Knight), Rust and Bone is a gritty, emotional romance between a whale-trainer who loses both her legs in a freak accident and a single father. - 9/10
Hyde Park on Hudson
Hyde Park on Hudson
Bill Murray and Laura Linney star in this amusing period film that centres on US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his relationships with the women around him, particularly a distant cousin with whom he is reportedly having an affair. Add in a royal visit from the reigning British monarch and this becomes a must watch for any fans of history. - 10/10
MMFF 2012:
Thy Womb
Thy Womb (Sinapupunana) is the critically-acclaimed Filipino drama starring Nora Aunor and directed by renonwned filmmaker Brilliante Mendoza, tells the story of a midwife who struggles with her own infertility.Centerstage Production, Inc.